ISTANBUL

Facing a labor shortage caused by stricter immigration laws, lawmakers in the US state of Florida advanced a bill on Tuesday to loosen child labor restrictions.

Under current rules, minors as young as 14 are prohibited from working between 11 pm and 6.30 am, but the proposed bill could permit overnight shift work on school nights, CNN reported.

Florida Senate's Commerce and Tourism Committee approved the bill easing child labor restrictions Tuesday by a vote of 5-4.

The bill will proceed through two additional committees before being presented for a full Senate vote.

Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis supports the law and has been outspoken about toughening immigration policies, aligning with US President Donald Trump’s stance.

“Why do we say we need to import foreigners, even import them illegally, when you know, teenagers used to work at these resorts, college students should be able to do this stuff,” DeSantis said last week, according to CNN.

In 2023, Florida required employers with 25+ employees to use E-Verify to check immigration status, with daily $1,000 fines for non-compliance.

“Yes, we had people that left because of those rules, but you’ve also been able to hire other people. And what’s wrong with expecting our young people to be working part-time now? I mean, that’s how it used to be when I was growing up,” DeSantis added.

Florida has been loosening child labor protections, such as allowing home-schooled 16- and 17-year-olds to work any hour, while child labor violations in the state have nearly tripled in recent years, according to the US Labor Department.